constellations falling into place
by Mia-Zeklos
Summary: Rey and Ben have a much-awaited reunion.


**Notes: Written for day five of Reylo Week - _Alternate Universe_. This is actually just canon divergence; it takes place in a world where everything that went wrong in ROTS did not go wrong and the characters sort of ended up running into each other anyway. I've mildly messed with the ages so that the timeline could make more sense.**

* * *

"—dares to threaten me! Me!" Voka Ziracch's voice pierced through her ears as he picked up speed once again and Rey suppressed a wince. "Solo's got some nerve, after everything I've done for the silly little planets his family keeps campaigning for!"

 _That_ was enough to make her snap out of the self-induced half-trance she'd entered in order to get through this evening. If she'd thought that the man was capable of feeling shame at all, she might have informed him that she came from a silly little planet herself or that maybe no one would have threatened him if he hadn't been far too forward for someone in his position. As it were, she didn't bother.

Her silence wasn't enough to discourage him either. It never had been – in fact, Rey suspected that the only reason he needed a guardian in the first place was because one day, he was going to get assassinated by someone in a desperate need of _peace_. "I have no idea why the Council is still putting up with this."

"They aren't."

"What?" The man seemed almost taken aback that she'd spoken and Rey couldn't blame him – she didn't do much of that when she had him as an assignment.

"He left the Order years ago," she clarified.

"Of course he did." The affronted expression had melted into a mocking one. "None of them is fit for the job anyway."

Really, there was nothing that Rey could say to that without getting in trouble with anyone at all, so she let it slide. Ever since she'd officially started taking her own missions, she'd realised that letting things slide was a rather big part of life as a Jedi. She could see why the majority of the Skywalkers either hadn't stuck around, or hadn't even tried – now that she was on first name basis with all of them, Rey knew them well enough to be able to tell that they weren't very good at letting anything go so easily.

Anakin had been the first of them to leave the Jedi – all the way back when his children had been born – and by the time Rey's parents had given her to the Order for training, he had already been somewhere between an example of true strength and a cautionary tale about the dangers of attachment depending on who you talked to. Asking only his son about it was clearly not the right path to go, but Luke Skywalker, the only one of the family who'd kept his position until he'd been given the rank of Master – had told her a version of events that had turned out to be surprisingly close to the truth once she'd actually met the man. Luke's twin sister Leia had undergone just enough training to be able to control her power but had always preferred to follow her mother onto the political scene and had been hesitant about sending her son in the Order to be raised as a Jedi. Her husband, a complete sceptic before he'd met her, had been openly against it and over the years, as Rey had watched it all unfold, she'd been a little jealous because Ben Solo got to have the best of everything. He had the love and constant presence of his relatives, the pilot lessons from one half of his family and the Senate meetings from the other; meetings that he had been allowed to attend when he'd been barely old enough to understand any of it. If Luke hadn't been the exemplary Jedi Knight he was, the Order would have never taken the boy in, but they _had_ and that had somehow made the inevitable fallout even worse.

It had been just a week or two after he'd completed his half-hearted training that he'd finally snapped and had gone just far enough to be expelled. Rey hadn't found it in herself to be either angry or surprised – they'd practically grown up together and she knew him too well, _and_ he'd managed to somehow draw her into his life gradually despite the amount of chaos that surrounded both him and his family – but was somewhat upset that it had led them to this. She was past denying in front of herself the fact that she'd only volunteered this particular mission because of how often they could meet through it; there was really no other redeeming quality to it. Even when apart, she and Ben were still bound by the strange connection they'd discovered some time ago, but it wasn't enough, particularly not in the last two years when their relationship had morphed into something entirely different.

Moments when they were both on Coruscant for long enough to meet were so rare and she always risked so much. Ben didn't have a whole lot to lose – nowadays he took whatever job fit him, whether it needed his skills with the Force or the ones he had when piloting a ship – but her life would be ruined and they had to be _so_ careful.

Yes, Rey thought as Ziracch decided to expand on his previous line of thought. Tonight, and the entire time she'd worked with him, would be worth it eventually. She let her mind wander to the other side of the firmly closed doors behind her until the muffled voices behind it grew clearer and found herself in a much more pleasant atmosphere. There had been an argument, she could tell that much by the fleeting thoughts that reflected it, but the only thing of it that she got to hear was, " _Ben!_ " right before he fell quiet. Padme had that effect on him – and she was the only one, really – but once the door actually slid open, there was no sign of whatever scolding he'd endured this time – the Senator's smile was perfectly pleasant and her grandson trudged along behind her like a silent shadow; the kind of behaviour generally expected from a bodyguard.

It was another thing Rey had got used to over time – her boyfriend was a mercenary in anything but name, but did this sort of work as well solely because he wanted to and only for people who mattered. It was easy to guess why her charge had been so riled up; Ben could be _terrifying_ when he thought someone he loved was in danger.

Thankfully, that wasn't the case tonight. Rey got to her feet and reached out to shake Padme's hand as soon as she came close enough. The proper protocol for situations such as this one still escaped her occasionally, but she knew that it would be preferable to be out of the picture as soon as possible.

"I expect you would like to be left in private," she said, eyes darting between the two Senators. Padme nodded and Ziracch looked as if he might argue before he saw that Ben had stepped away, aiming for the exit instead.

"Yes," he confirmed too, gaze still straying to the retreating figure. "That would be ideal."

"Thank you, Rey." If there was the barest hint of amusement in Padme's eyes to counter the disapproval in them, it was only visible enough to detect because they'd known each other for so long now. "That'll be all."

Rey had been well trained enough to know when she was being dismissed. Saying her goodbyes, she headed for the exit and wasn't the slightest bit surprised when a hand pulled her along into the darkness of the street outside. It was quickly followed by a kiss, brief but heated, and a pair of gloved hands cupping her face right before Ben pulled away, his face barely recognisable in the shadows of the city.

"Come on," was all he said, taking her hand again. "I know a shortcut."

It was so unceremonious and the part of Rey that had actually listened thorough her years of training wanted to be angry – he was being careless and if anyone suffered for it, it wouldn't be him – but there was just no way to feel anything but freer than she had in months. Ben had a way of bringing that out in her, making her reckless and giddy and welcoming towards everything that could give her this particular kind of thrill, and she couldn't bring herself to deny the opportunity when it came. It was so easy to give in.

As it happened, Ben's _shortcut_ meant going underground for about twenty minutes before they emerged right outside of his family's residence. The tunnel had been as dark and unpleasant as the majority of Coruscant's less desirable parts and it was all in sharp contrast with the part of the city that Ben's family populated. The last few floors of the building that towered over the square belonged to them, although Rey failed to see why – it was rare for more than one of them to actually _be there._ Still, right now, she didn't mind in the slightest – it meant some much-needed privacy for the first time in what felt like forever.

The ride in the elevator was agonisingly slow. Rey kept her arms by her sides, anxious of the possibility of someone else coming in, but as soon as the doors opened and she stepped straight into a hallway she knew all too well, it was as if every pretence she'd managed to keep up over the last few hours had suddenly evaporated – her hands were reaching up on their own volition, willing Ben to lean down before he'd even stepped out into the room, returning the kiss she hadn't had the chance to really taste in front of the countless strangers outside.

He laughed into her lips, sounding about as eager and impatient as she felt. It was a strange kind of urgency, as impatient as it was loving, and it just grew between them as it fed on the shared emotion.

"I was thinking of offering you something to drink first," Ben's voice rumbled against her throat as he pulled away and left a trail of kisses down her jawline; over her shoulder as he roughly pushed the clothing aside. The material started unfolding under his insistence almost immediately, pooling at her feet before she'd even had the chance to respond. "But— later, maybe."

"Later," Rey nodded, already tugging at his tunic. It wasn't _fair_ – his own uniform, if it could even be called that, was much more complicated and it would take _ages_ if he didn't help. "Ben—"

"I'm here," he reminded and the thought was ridiculously reassuring despite how mundane her complaint had been. He divested himself of it quickly enough, leaving only his trousers on as he walked them both towards the living room and then in the general direction of his bedroom. They didn't step inside – instead, Ben backed her even closer to the wall and pulled her into his arms, propping her further up until she had no choice but to wrap her legs around his waist. This would be much more comfortable if they'd resorted to the Force, it went without saying, but it wasn't what she wanted; what either of them _needed_. After so long, Rey craved just this – the feeling of skin on skin and nothing more. Everything else seemed to pale in comparison.

"Ben." She didn't think she'd ever tire of saying it like this, when they were alone and she was free to savour the sound of it as much as she wanted. Thankfully, she wasn't alone.

"Rey," he echoed, almost in awe, and she tangled her fingers in his hair as she pressed herself closer to his body once again for a kiss. _Yes_ , this was it, the sensation she'd been looking for – her chest against his, the flutter of his heart under her touch as she propped her hand on his shoulder to gain some leverage. Her body already felt on fire, opening up in a way she never allowed herself outside of this. It always made her feel so _peculiar_ , how she responded to his touch, and not only because of how forbidden it happened to be – it was all in the small things; in Ben's every stroke, in the slide of his fingers over her skin once they'd managed to get rid of all their clothes somehow, in the press of his lips over her collarbones as she tilted her head back in invitation and he pushed her hair out of the way. Her thighs clenched around him, a request to hurry if Rey had ever issued one even if all she got in return was a laugh.

"I'm here," he said again and this time, it was a promise as one of his hands slid down her stomach and his fingers pushed slowly inside her, yet another feather-light caress. It was enough to make her gasp with how sensitive she felt all over already and Rey wrapped her arms around his shoulders to keep herself up as he set up a pace, gentle and unassuming as if they had all the time in the world.

And they did – they had all night. All week, if they were lucky. The thought was enough to make Rey feel lightheaded, but, "Don't tease me, Ben."

 _Later_. Later, they'd have time for everything. Now, she could feel what he felt too, just how much he wanted this and the fact that it was on two different levels – the thoughts running rapidly through his head and the very physical proof of how much he wanted her too when he moved just right and his erection brushed against her inner thigh – was almost overwhelming in its intensity.

It didn't take long to find their place around each other even in such a hastily assumed position. Ben hissed at the blunt sting of Rey's nails digging into his skin as he slowly slid inside her and his eyes fluttered shut. They stood like that for a moment, with his forehead pressed against her chest as they both got the chance to get lost in each other once again, the reverie only broken when Ben braced himself against the wall and thrust for the first time, making her arch towards him with a moan.

"Shh," he whispered and maybe she _had_ been louder than she'd expected, but even that wasn't enough to scare her now. His fingers were pressed against her lips and she let them part slightly, pulling them in until Ben shivered, his rhythm faltering for a moment. It was a favourite of his, she knew, and by association it was something she enjoyed greatly too – it was impossible not to with the connection that made everything accelerate in a matter of minutes.

He didn't let it last long, pulling his hand away before she'd really managed to get into it. If they'd been in a more comfortable position, Rey wouldn't have minded to have him silence her like this for the rest of the night; as it were, she relished in the wet glide of his fingers down her chest, teasing her nipples for the momentary satisfaction of hearing her gasp for more again, over her sides and where she needed them most again, pressing insistently against her as his cock disappeared inside her body over and over again. It was all accompanied by his haphazard, open-mouthed kisses; more sharing oxygen than anything else and somehow even better for it.

They were so close in every sense of the word that Rey could almost see it all through his eyes and it was _intoxicating_ ; enough to, along with all the stimulation he'd piled up on her all at once, reach the edge even sooner than she'd expected. It was still a slowly building thing and every nerve in her body felt oversensitive, sharp and bright and on the verge of too much, making her squirm whenever he touched her and when she finally came, it didn't matter how hard she tried – it was impossible to hold back.

"Ben!" She hadn't _meant_ to say that and they had to be careful and what if someone could _tell_ and— she didn't care. She couldn't care, not when every thrust of Ben's body set off another wave of aftershocks until he was coming and she was curled up around him, shivering and exhausted and happier than she'd felt in quite a while.

Ben managed to hold them both up somehow and _this_ time she suspected he was cheating, but all it did was make her smile even wider when he looked up at her, his hair a tangled mess sticking to his face when she ran her fingers through it.

"What is it?" he asked as he balanced them both even more against the wall and kicked the door of his bedroom over.

"I'm just thinking," Rey admitted and let herself be carried inside. "I was wrong. There are _definitely_ worse jobs than this."


End file.
